Gardening: Romance in full bloom

Summer would not be the same without roses  Dermot ONeill takes a look at the best new varieties

The 19th-century French author Alphonse Karr said: “Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns — I am thankful that thorns have roses.” How anybody could grumble about roses is a mystery, especially at this time of year when this bloom of romance is in full blaze.

Summer would not be summer without the colour and fragrance they bring to our gardens. They are long-living, flowering from early summer right into late autumn. The choice of varieties is vast, from miniature to full-size standard, and from climbing to ground-cover species.

Stick to the following regime and you’ll get the very best from them right through to autumn.

Deadhead: it is very important to do this once roses have finished flowering, otherwise energy goes into developing seed heads instead of producing more flowers. The trick is to cut several leaves below the dead flower along the stem. This will encourage a